Adventures in Wonderland
by celestialstarynight
Summary: AU. Jade takes Artemis with her the night she leaves their dad. How different will Artemis's life be when she grows up in the League of Shadows? Possible CheshRoy and Traught in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Please don't go," eleven year old Artemis said.

Her fifteen year old sister, Jade, continued to walk around their room. She grabbed a few more things and placed them in her duffel bag.

"Sorry, Sis, but I refuse to stay here with _just_ Dad," Jade said. She zipped up the bag, but knew there was something she was forgetting.

"Dad and you and _me_. We have to keep this family from falling apart," Artemis pleaded, clutching Button, her bear, closer to her chest.

Jade turned and looked at her little sister. Artemis still had a bit of toothpaste on the corner of her mouth. That's what Jade was forgetting, her toothbrush.

"Toothbrush, duh!" she said, smacking her forehead.

Artemis looked crestfallen as Jade went into their bathroom to grab her toothbrush. As she was picking it up, she saw Artemis's right next to it. She made a snap decision and grabbed it. She went back into the room and put her toothbrush in her bag. She then went over and grabbed a smaller bag. Artemis had packed it for the 'camping trip' their dad was taking them on in two days. It held some spare clothes and shoes. Jade put Artemis's toothbrush inside. She threw in _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ and _Through the Looking Glass_ incase Artemis got board on the way.

"What are you doing with that?" Artemis asked.

Jade went over to her and wiped the toothpaste of her cheek.

"I'm taking you with me. Grab your bag."

Artemis took the bag, but looked confused. She wasn't expecting Jade to take her with her.

"We sisters have to stick together," Jade said, giving Artemis a small smile.

"Dad will find us," Artemis said.

"Nope, I plan of disappearing like the Cheshire Cat," Jade said as she put her lucky cap on. Artemis still looked unsure. "Come on, Alice, take a trip down the rabbit hole."

Artemis looked at the poster behind Jade and then smiled. "Alright." She took Jade's hand and they walked out the door. Their dad wasn't going to be home until sunrise, so they stopped in the kitchen and grabbed all the food they could fit in their bags.

"Where are we going?" Artemis asked as they left the apartment.

Jade didn't answer until they were a block away from their building.

"I heard that the Shadows coming to Gotham. We lie low until then," Jade answered.

"When are they coming?" Artemis asked. They continued walking briskly down the block. Artemis kept close to her sister and held her hand tightly. Button was now safely away in Artemis's bag.

"Could be a week, could be a month, I don't know," Jade admitted. "But when they do come, we'll be ready."

"How are we going to stay away from Dad?" Artemis asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Jade answered. "We can't have him arrested for child abuse because then we'd be sent to foster homes."

"And Dad would go to jail," Artemis added.

Jade sighed. Artemis still cared for the guy; it must have been nice to be a kid. Speaking of kids, Artemis's redheaded friend walked out of an alley as they passed.

"Hey, Mis," he called.

"Hi, Jay," Artemis said. She stopped and forced Jade to do the same.

Jason walked towards them. The eight year old had a sort of hero worship thing with Artemis. He saw her take down a man twice her size a year ago and had then demanded she teach him everything she knew. She did with Jade's help. It was nice to have a sparring partner who didn't yell at you every five seconds.

"Where are you going, Mis?" Jason asked.

"It's a secret," Artemis replied, not wanting to say she didn't know.

"Come on, you can tell me. I'm great with secrets," Jason said.

Artemis looked to Jade for help.

"We're moving," Jade said. "And that's all you need to know."

Jason huffed. He looked at Artemis with pleading eyes.

"Fine, but you have to pinky promise you won't tell," Artemis said.

Jason nodded eagerly. "Cross my heart and hope to die," he said, making an X over his heart with his pinky. He and Artemis then locked pinkys.

She went over and whispered "we're going to join the League of Shadows" in his ear.

Jason's eyes got huge. He wasn't as connected as Artemis and Jade were, so he had never actually met any of the Shadows, but he had heard plenty about them.

"Whoa, really?" he asked.

"Uh huh," Artemis confirmed, nodding.

"Whoa," Jason repeated. "You're going to be even more badass than you are now!"

As the two kids were talking, Jade noticed a small group of men making their way towards them.

"Artemis, Jason, follow me. Now," Jade said.

They shut up immediately and followed Jade down the alley. Jade motioned for them to climb up a fire escape on one side of the alley. The scampered up and Jade followed after. Jade started rummaging through her duffel bag while Jason was on lookout. Jade grabbed her knife and gave Artemis her cross bow.

"I've only got ten bolts for it, so save it for later," Jade said.

Artemis nodded with a determined look.

"They're here," Jason said. He took out the switch blade Artemis gave him for is eight birthday.

"Good. You two stay up here until I call you down," Jade said. She dropped down behind some boxes and started breathing heavily, as though she was scared.

"Where you at kiddies?" one of the four men called down the alley.

Jade let out an uncharacteristic whimper.

"Hey, Al, I found one," another of the guys said as he pulled Jade out from her hiding space.

If looks could kill, all four men would have dropped dead from the glare Artemis was giving them as they brought her sister to the middle of their group.

"Gotcha," one of the guys said.

Jade smirked. "No, I've got you."

She flipped over the shoulder of the man holding her and kicked him into his buddies. Then she drew her knife and shouted, "Now!"

Artemis and Jason dropped down on the shoulders of two of the men while Jade went after the other two. Jason stabbed the back of the guy he was on with his switch blade. Artemis brought the hilt of her crossbow down hard on the temple of the guy she was on. He was knocked out instantly, so she jumped off him and kicked the guy Jason was fighting in the face. He got a hit on her before Jason could cut him again. Jade slashed one guy's arm and kicked the other in the crotch. While he was doubled over she punched his face. Jade heard a yell behind her and turned to see the guy she had cut had a crossbow bolt in his hand.

"Don't touch my sister," Artemis said from her place atop the body of the man she and Jason took down.

"Fucking crazy kids," the guy muttered before running off.

Artemis smiled. Her dad was going to be so proud! She couldn't wait to tell him. She stopped smiling when she remembered that she and Jade were running away and she wouldn't be able to tell her dad about how she took down three guys.

"That was so cool!" Jason exclaimed. "Mis, that was awesome how you took down that guy. One blow to the head and Bam! Out like a light!" He mimed out her knocking out the one guy. That brought the smile back to Artemis's face.

"Let's go," Jade said as she picked up her hat from where it had fallen on the ground. She didn't want to be around when the other guys came to.

The headed back up the fire escape and grabbed their bags. They then continued up to the rooftop and sat down.

Jade got out some Tylenol and a bottle of water and made sure Artemis took some pills. Pain is weakness, is what their dad had drilled into them. Eliminate pain, and you eliminate weakness.

"You were pretty good, too, Jay," Artemis told the still giddy eight year old.

"So, can I come with you?" Jason pleaded.

"No," Jade answered immediately.

"Mis?" Jason pleaded with Artemis.

Artemis was conflicted. On one hand, it would be great to have another friend around. But on the other, Jason was far less experienced they she and Jade were. "Why can't he come?" Artemis asked her sister.

"You won't slow me down too much, but he's a liability," Jade said exactly what Artemis was thinking.

"You two trained me yourselves!" Jason complained.

"Liability," Jade deadpanned.

"Fine then, I guess I won't tell you what I know," Jason huffed and turned his back to the sisters.

"Come on, Jay, don't keep secrets," Artemis said to him.

He stubbornly shook his head. "Too late, Mis. I'll never talk now."

Artemis sighed sadly. Jason glanced back at her and regretted it instantly.

"Fine," he said, hating to disappoint his idol. "I overheard my dad's friend talking about how the cops busted the job they were running out of the apartment on Hindes and 10th. The cops ran them out, what's worse for them is that the Malcroys took the building over."

Jade smiled as did Artemis.

"Dad's got some snitches in the Malcroys," Jade said, seeing the plan come together.

"We blackmail them into letting us get an apartment, right?" Artemis asked.

"Exactly," Jade said. "Nice work, Jason. Maybe you aren't totally useless."

"Hey!"

**Yup, Jason is her best friend. And they have nicknames for each other! How cute :3 Seriously, give me one good reason why Jay-Bird and Arty wouldn't have met as kids.  
Reviews feed the plot bunny, the poor thing is starving.**

**(\ /)  
( o.0 )**


	2. Chapter 2

**TH4NKS SO MUCH FOR TH3 R3V13WS! 1'M SO GL4D YOU L1K3 1T!  
****(Yup, I have a Homesuck obsession... I'm trying to get it under control, I swear!)**

**Here's the next chapter. I apologized now for the total OOCness. Flashbacks in **_italics._

Just to prove how not useless he was, Jason snuck Artemis and Jade into his apartment so they could crash there. Artemis was out like a light the moment she lay down. But Jade couldn't sleep. It might have been because Jade and Artemis were squished together in Jason's closet, but it was mainly because of all the thoughts running through her head. Jade took a deep breath and looked down at Artemis, who was using her lap as a pillow. The blanket Jason had given them was pulled all the way up to Artemis's chin. Her arm and Button's head poked out of one side.

Jade was glad she had brought Artemis along. At first, she was worried that she would just slow her down but Artemis was actually really helpful. If she hadn't taken Artemis, she wouldn't have stopped to talk to Jason and she wouldn't have known about a possible place to stay. Of course, by bring along Artemis, there was a higher chance of their dad catching them because he would work harder to find both of them as opposed to just finding one of them.

Jade's eyes suddenly shot open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Artemis apologized.

Jade saw that Artemis was getting off of her and that she had stepped on her hand while leaving the closet.

"It's fine," Jade said. "I was going to get up soon anyway."

Artemis moved out of the way so Jade could crawl out. Jade stood up and stretched. That wasn't the worst position she'd ever fallen asleep in, but her back was still killing her.

Jason then slipped into the room.

"Great, you're up. Dad's gone for the next few days and Mom just left for work," he told them.

"So what are we going to do today, Jade?" Artemis asked.

"First, I'm eating breakfast. Then we're heading over to Hindes and 10th to get an apartment," Jade said.

"How are you guys gonna blackmail a Malcroy?" Jason asked as they walked out of his room. "They're the second biggest family in Gotham! Did you hear what they did to Two-Face's guys when he was in Arkham?"

"Jay, they didn't kill all of them," Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

"How do you know?" Jason asked.

"Because they attacked Penguin's gang," Jade told him.

"Oh," Jason said, looking down.

"Do you know who Dad's informant is?" Artemis asked as Jade threw some Poptarts in Jason's toaster.

"Nope," Jade said, turning the toaster on.

"Then how are we blackmailing them?" Artemis asked.

"We're not," Jade said. "The Malcroys are known for rewarding people who help them. We tell them they have some informants, and they look into it. When they find them out, we get rewarded with an apartment and Dad loses some connections."

adventures-in-wonderland

That's how Jade found herself at the Iceberg Lounge. As she fixed her dark green dress, she couldn't help but laugh to herself about the irony of their meeting place. They had just been talking about how the Malcroys had attacked Penguin's gang and now she was meeting Christopher Malcroy at Penguin's business.

_"Wow, Jay, I never thought your mom had such pretty dresses," Artemis said when Jason opened the bag._

_"It's from when she worked at the high class bar," Jason said._

_Jade looked inside the garment bag to see four different dresses. The first was a deep red, like blood. It was a cocktail dress that stopped at the mid-thigh with a five inch slit on either side. The next, a dark blue, had a half shoulder strap and little ruffles on the end of the skirt. The third was a black dress with a lacey sweetheart neckline. Jade didn't like the white stripe on the bottom though._

_"Oh! Wear that one, Jade!" Artemis said excitedly, pointing at the forth dress._

_It was dark green and shimmered slightly. It was the only one that was floor length and like the first one, it had slits going all the way up the sides._

_"Try it on!" Jason and Artemis insisted._

_Jade put it on, thankful that the bodice fit right. She then put on some black leggings because she hadn't thought to pack tights. She threw her hair up in a high ponytail and exited the room to show the kids what it looked like._

_"Wow," Artemis gasped._

_"Sexy," Jason said and winked at her._

_Jade looked back at the mirror. The dress did look really good. It made her look 19 instead of 15._

_"You can't have your hair like that though," Artemis commented._

_So Jade sat down and let Artemis weave her hair into a French braid. When she was done, she strapped her knife to her thigh with some black duct tape._

_"So how are you going to get there?" Artemis asked._

_"Hotwire a motorcycle," Jade replied._

_"Oh!" Jason shot up. "I know where to get a really cool one! Wait here!"_

_Jason then climbed out the window and down the fire escape. This seemed to be his favorite way of entering or exiting the house._

_It was twenty minutes before he got back._

_"Alright, come down and see it."_

_The sisters followed him down to the alley._

_"Ta-da," Jason gestured proudly to the red bike he stood in front of._

_"The helmet's too small," Jade commented._

_"Well, yeah, I think it's a kid's bike. It's parked in the alley sometimes. Always behind this one dumpster. I found it while I was out exploring one night," Jason explained._

_Jade got on the bike. It was a little small, but she could make it work. They made useable motorcycles that were five sizes too small anyway._

_"What's the R on the front stand for?" Artemis asked, pointing to the yellow R on the top of the bike._

_"I don't know," Jason admitted._

_Jade said goodbye and Jason and Artemis went back to the apartment (through the window, of course)._

"Ms. Nguyen?" the waitress asked. Jade nodded. "This way, please."

Jade followed the woman to a table in the back. Seated there was a man in his mid twenties. He had dark blond hair and brown eyes. _Not bad looking_, Jade thought.

"Hello," he greeted. "You must be Jade. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," Jade said, sitting down. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"I'm Ross. Ross Malcroy."

"Pleasure to meet you," Jade said, giving him a sly smile.

"The pleasure is all mine. I understand you have something to discuss with me."

"Yes. I have some information that you might find beneficial to your business," Jade answered.

"What kind of information?" Ross asked.

"It's concerning the behavior of some of your employees. Before I go any further, I need to know you'll appreciate my contribution."

The waiter came back and took their orders.

"What sort of appreciation did you have in mind?" Ross asked, leaning closer as the waiter left.

"My sister and I need a place to stay for the next few months, and it's come to my attention that your family has recently required an apartment complex on Hindes and 10th."

"Well, depending on how beneficial your information is, we may be able to help you and your sister with your problem," Ross said.

The waiter came back with their food, and Jade was quite sure the service should not have been that fast.

"It is my understanding that some of your employees are passing delicate information on to the man known as 'Sportsmaster'," Jade said.

"Oh? That's a serious acquisition. Might I ask where you're getting your information from," Ross replied.

"From the man paying your informants, of course," Jade said, taking a sip of her water.

"You know how to contact Sportsmaster?" Ross said, in a sort of disbelief.

Jade rolled her eyes. Her dad was nothing more than the head-henchman of some villain with an actual brain, but somehow he had one of the best reputations of the criminal world.

"Know his phone number, his address, what he ate for dinner last week," Jade said. "I know more about the guy than I want to know."

"Can you prove it?" Ross asked.

"How?"

"Call him up."

"Unless you know what his voice really sounds like, I doubt that would help," Jade said.

"Fair enough. I'll tell you what. We'll take the information you gave us into consideration. If you turn out to be telling the truth, we'll be sure to help you and your sister out with your housing problem," Ross said.

Jade shook his hand and stood up. She passed him a card with her number on it. "Give us a call."

**[He stole the Bat-tires, is it that far of a stretch for him to hotwire Robin's R-cycle?]**

**Sorry it took so long to update. Can you believe that I had the entire 3rd chapter and half of the 4th done before I even started thinking about the 2nd? YUP, TH4T'S JUST HOW MY BR41N WORKS SOM3T1M3S...  
****(It's official, Homestuck has taken over my life and is polluting my other fandoms. Someone help me.)**

**Feed the plot bunny!**

**(\ /)  
****(0.0)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait. But I've added in someone, I think it will help the story make more sense. An updated version of the next chapter will be up Wednesday at the latest.**

They received a call the next day.

"That was fast," Artemis commented as Jade hung up.

"Clearly Dad's informants were idiots," Jade said. "We should leave now if we want to catch the bus."

"Do you have to leave already?" Jason asked.

"Sorry, Jay, but this is the last bus to 10th tonight," Artemis said. She and Jade had long ago memorized all the bus routes.

Jason pouted, so Artemis gave him a hug. "Don't worry." Jason nodded.

"Let's go," Jade said.

Jason walked over and opened the window for them. As Artemis climbed out, she realized that she hadn't once used the door of Jason's apartment.

They just made it to the bus stop before it pulled away. Jade paid for herself and then went to pay for Artemis but the bus lady stopped her.

"Kids ten and under are free after nine thirty," she said.

Artemis looked like she was about to correct the woman that she was eleven and not ten, but Jade steered her to her seat before she made them pay more money.

"I am _not_ ten," Artemis pouted quietly to Jade as they sat down.

"I'll use the $1.25 we saved to buy you a candy bar," Jade said, cheering Artemis up.

When they got off the bus a block from the apartment building, Jade and Artemis entered a 24-hour convenience store. Artemis picked out a Coffee Crisp and went up with Jade to the counter.

"Hey, you want to make some extra money?" the girl at the counter asked Jade.

"Depends, what's the job?" Jade answered.

"Midnight to five, weekdays, they need a new cashier. The last girl disappeared," she said.

"Sure," Jade answered.

The girl grabbed an application form and Jade filled it out before they left.

They walked another block to the apartment and met with the doorman. He gave them the key and they went up the stairs.

Jade opened the door to apt. 27 and was met with a sight neither girl was expecting.

The front room held a small green couch. There were at least seven cats milling around and possibly more elsewhere in the apartment. Sitting on the couch was a woman, in her late twenties. She had cropped black hair and green eyes.

"Selina?" Jade asked.

"Hey, kid. Jade, right?" the woman answered. "Breaking into someone's apartment is against the law you know."

"This is _our_ apartment," Artemis said.

"Oh? I hadn't noticed. It's fine though, I don't mind sharing," Selina said, stoking one of her cats.

Artemis bristled, but Jade just put a hand on her shoulder. "Gotta keep away for Dad somehow," Jade reasoned. "An adult and two minors is much less suspicious than just two minors."

"Run away, have we? Good choice, your dad didn't sound like much fun." Selina got up and walked over to the kitchen. "Tea?"

Jade shrugged and flopped down on the couch, narrowly avoiding a tabby cat.

"Yes, please," Artemis answered, bending down to be a Siamese.

"Your sister has such lovely manors, Jade," Selina commented.

"Mom was big on manors," Jade replied.

"Glad to see you never caught on."

"I can use them when necessary."

"I'm sure you'll be causing all sorts of problems for the boys when you get older."

"Oh, I plan on it."

**Yup, Catwoman is here to show the girls how to be sassy BAMFs.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Haha, up before Wednesday. Now let's see if the same can be said for chapter 5.**

**This used be be chapter 3. Now with Selina.**

"Artemis, try to keep up," Jade said.

"I'm trying," Artemis insisted.

The girls made it just in time. They walked onto the gang plank just as the body guard was about to close the door.

"Sorry, kids. This is an adult party," the man said.

Both girls' faces darkened considerably. If there was one thing both girls excelled at, it was intimidating people. The poor man almost wet himself.

"The invitation was open," Jade said. "So unless you want me to break your arm, I'd step aside."

"I'd listen to her," Artemis added. "Last time, the bone broke through the skin."

The man stood firmly.

"So that's how it's going to be," Artemis muttered.

Jade grabbed the man's arm and twisted it around before he could even blink. He cried out in pain. Artemis smiled sweetly and walked through the door. Jade tossed the man on the ground and walked after her. They made their way through the yacht to the large ball room in the center.

Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of the head of the League of Shadows, stood on a small stage in the front.

"I would like to welcome you all," she said. "As I'm sure you all know, our organization has specific standards. Therefore, hardly any of you will be making past your first assignment."

There was a slight murmuring in the crowd.

"Your assignment is quite easy," Talia explained. "Batman, the protector of Gotham, has recently taken on a protégé. You are to fight Robin, and bring back proof of victory, such as his utility belt."

"Restrictions?" one of the recruits asked.

"You cannot kill or remove masks. Also the task is to be completed within a month."

"Solo mission?" someone else asked.

"Work in whatever number you are comfortable with. All in your party will be accepted if one archives victory," Talia said. She then dismissed them and started walking out.

"I expected this to be harder," one of the recruits whispered to his partner. "All we have to do is fight a nine year old."

Talia apparently heard this because she spoke again. "Did I mention that Batman never lets Robin out of his sight? To defeat Robin, you will have to defeat Batman as well."

And with that important piece of information, Talia left.

"How are we going to fight Batman, Jade?" Artemis asked as they left the meeting place.

"We don't have to fight Batman, Sis, we have to fight Robin. There's a big difference," Jade told her.

"Yeah, but if Robin is never out of Batman's sight, how will we fight one without fighting the other?" Artemis asked, felling more and more worried as she thought about it.

"We'll just have to find a way to get Robin away from Batman without causing suspicion," Jade said quietly.

They were on their way back to the apartment when Artemis spoke again.

"Hey, Jade."

"Yeah?"

"Remember that bike Jason hotwired three weeks ago?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Wasn't the R on the front the same as the one Robin has on his costume?"

Jade stopped walking and tried to remember the picture of Robin that was in the paper the other day. "You know what? I think it is."

"So, we stole Robin's motorcycle?"

"It's not like he missed it. Jason said he returned it."

"Jade, the only things Jason returns are the things _I_ let him borrow."

Jade just shrugged. "Not our problem." 'Next thing you know he's going to be hijacking Batman's car', she thought to herself.

They made it home ten minutes later.

"Ramen or potpie?" Jade asked when they walked in. Their only cooking devices were a microwave and a toaster, Selina had insisted that that was all one needed.

"Um, chicken pie," Artemis requested.

Jade took out two from their freezer.

"Run through your drills while they cook," Jade told her.

Artemis nodded. She brought Button out and put him on the counter.

"Watch closely," Artemis instructed her friend.

She then proceeded to do her fifth drill. It was a forward punch with her right hand followed closely by a high kick with her left foot and then another kick with her right foot to the side of her imaginary opponent. After Jade put the second potpie in, she joined Artemis and fought against her. She went easy on her, and corrected Artemis' positioning as they went. Twenty minutes, both pies were cool enough to eat, so the sisters sat down and devoured them.

"Hey, girls," Selina said as she walked in.

"Hi, Selina," Artemis said cheerfully. Selina petted her head before sitting down at the table.

Jade threw a potpie in for Selina before going back to eating.

"So how'd the meeting go?"

"We got our mission," Jade said.

"We have to fight Batman and Robin," Artemis said, despondent.

"Huh, I thought the bitch had a soft spot for the Bat," Selina mused.

"We don't have to fight Batman, we just have to steal Robin's belt or some other form of his gear," Jade explained.

"We should we wear masks or something so they don't know who we are," Artemis said to Jade.

"We're not heroes, Artemis," Jade reminded her. "We don't wear masks."

"Yeah, but Harley wears a mask, and Bane wears a mask, and Selina has a mask, and all of the Shadows wear masks," Artemis pointed out.

"She's got a point," Selina said.

"Should we have code names too?" Jade said sarcastically. The idea was really a good one, Jade was just mentally facepalming herself for not thinking of it before.

"Well, I guess we could. Button, what do you think?"

The bear, of course, said nothing in reply.

"Great idea, Button!" Artemis said happily. "Button says that you should be 'Cheshire' and I should be 'Alice'."

Who knew a stuffed bear had such good ideas?

For the rest week, Artemis continued to run her drills while Jade worked out their costumes. Selina would take them out from time to time, making sure they had all the street smarts she did. Selina would sometimes fill in for Jade's shift at the convince store when there was nothing good out the steal.

With the costumes, Jade had decided to play off the Asian heritage they got from their mother. She designed two kimonos. Her's was a dark green, while Artemis's was a dark blue. Artemis had wanted Jade in a dark red but Jade didn't want their colors matching Superman's. She carved a Cheshire Cat mask out of wood, that, with Artemis's insistence, she accented with red. It also had black lenses covering the eyes. She wasn't sure what to do with Artemis's mask, but Selina suggested they cut eye holes out of a dark blue ribbon that Artemis could tie around her head. Selina also got them each a belt to attach Jade's knife to and for Artemis to put her crossbow on as well as a pouch to hold the bolts.

"Alright, go through it again, but this time with the mask," Selina instructed. She took out Artemis's ponytail and tied the mask. It held back most of her hair, but a few pieces escaped onto her face. Artemis went through the drill again, trying to get used to the mask.

"It's weird," she said.

"Just remember, it was your idea." Jade, who now had on her own mask and was doing the same drills, said.

Jade wasn't wearing her usual ponytail either. Her hair puffed out unnaturally, but Jade kind of liked it that way.

"You look intimidating, I don't," Artemis complained.

"That's the point," Jade explained. "Our enemies will see us and judge us immediately. I'll be seen as the larger threat, while you'll just be passed off as a minor pest."

Artemis frowned. She didn't like people underestimating her. She was a big girl! And most certainly more of a threat than a 'minor pest'.

"I know you hate people underestimating you, but you've got to use that to your advantage. Just look at Robin, he's nine years old. Do you think any thug took him seriously when he started? Do you think anyone takes him seriously now?"

Artemis shook her head.

"And all that gets them is their asses handed to them by a nine year old midget," Selina concluded.

Artemis giggled.

"Remember what I did our first night out?" Jade asked her.

"You let the guys get you so me and Jason could jump them," Artemis replied.

"Exactly. I let them underestimate me," Jade said with a smile. Then her expression hardened. "Never underestimate your enemy, Artemis. If you do, they'll beat you."

Artemis nodded firmly.

"Good," Selina said, glad the girls were on the same page. "Now, let's see how well you two fight with those masks."

**Reviews welcome.**


End file.
